Electrical resistance cooking is well known in the art and has the desirable benefit of a relatively short cooking time which consequently saves substantial energy since energy is not required to maintain food at temperatures convenient for consumption for long periods prior to eating.
The present invention relates to a novel container and composition of matter combination used in connection with the electrical resistance cooking of electrically high conducting foodstuffs.
The invention comprises:
(a) An electrically and preferably thermally insulating container which defines a food cavity having a substantially uniform longitudinal cross sectional area, and an aperture in each of its two most diametrically opposite ends; and PA1 (b) Electrical contacts located at said diametrically opposite ends attached to a surface, preferably the inside surface of the container ends while draping the apertures and extending out of the container to a source of electrical energy, and PA1 (c) A composition in intimate contact with the inner surfaces of said electrical contacts and the subject foodstuff consisting essentially of: PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,651,752, PA1 Inventor: Roslonski PA1 discloses: a packaged food product such as a frankfurter having a wrapper. The wrapper ends have two separate conducting strips which contact two portions of the food substance for cooking same. The wrapper is sealed about the ends of the food substance allegedly to insure good electrical contact between the conducting strips and the food substance. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 2,939,793. PA1 Inventor: Richman PA1 discloses: a frankfurter package unit including a frankfurter axially confined in a wrapper, the frankfurter having its pulp portion exposed at both ends at right angles to its longitudinal axis within the wrapper, the wrapper consisting of sealed end portions formed of flexible metallic electrical conducting material secured at opposite end portions to a central non-conducting wrapper material, the trimmed ends of the frankfurter being in juxtaposition to the sealed metallic conductor ends of the wrapper whereby the frankfurter can be cooked without removing the wrapper, by insertion of the entire package intermediate to a pair of electrodes and applying electrical current through the electrodes in sufficient amount to heat the frankfurter without the electrodes perforating the wrapper. PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,548,738. PA1 Inventor: McDevitt PA1 discloses: a hot dog vending machine including a cold food storage compartment, a pair of vertically spaced actuating bars and a composite hot dog - electrode cooking package stored within the food compartment with special emphasis on the nature of the package, which package includes a pair of spaced electrodes each of which is bonded to the hot dog and retained within a cylindrical carboard container previously formed for operation in the machine and cooperating with the spaced actuating bars. The electrodes may be in the form of end caps which fit in intimate contact over the ends of the frankfurter and which do not puncture the frankfurter. PA1 United States Pat. No. 3,886,290 PA1 Issue Date: May 27, 1975 PA1 Inventors: Ernst Theodore Theimer Donald Joseph Roslonski PA1 discloses: a packaged food product comprising: PA1 U.s. pat. No. 3,062,663 PA1 Inventor: Furgal, et al PA1 discloses: a food package which may readily be connected to a conventional electrical outlet for the heating of food (e.g. frankfurter) contained therein, whereby the food package comprises a container formed by an electrically non-conductive material, a pair of low resistance strip electrodes in longitudinally-spaced apart relation within said container, said electrodes having portions therein projecting through a wall of said container to provide prongs for insertion into an electrical outlet, and an electrically conductive solid food product disposed within said container between and in surface contact with bottom of said electrodes, said food product having an electrical resistance obtained greater than the resistance of said electrodes. In an embodiment which is irrelevant to our invention, Furgal, et al discloses electrodes which include resilient and electrically conductive moisture retaining pads in surface contact with opposite ends of the food produced. At column 2, lines 43-54, in describing these moisture retaining pads, Furgal, et al states: PA1 Inventor: Stern PA1 discloses: PA1 Inventor: Hirsch PA1 discloses: PA1 Inventor: Sierk PA1 Discloses: A food package for use with a vending machine of U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,384. PA1 Simpkins; U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,277 PA1 Ford; U.S. Pat. No. 2,256,976 PA1 Steuber; U.S. Pat. No. 2,951,433 PA1 Everett; U.S. Pat. No. 3,117,511 PA1 Ford; U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,325 PA1 Watson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,200,405 PA1 McConnell, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,139,690 PA1 Aff; U.S. Pat. No. 2,474,390 PA1 Spiess; U.S. Pat. No. 2,642,794 PA1 Sharpe; U.S. Pat. No. 2,405,984 PA1 Berkeley; U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,085 PA1 (a) An electrically and preferably thermally insulating container which defines a food cavity having a substantially uniform longitudinal cross sectional area, and an aperture in each of its two most diametrically opposite ends; and PA1 (b) Electrical contacts located at said diametrically opposite ends attached to the surface, preferably the inside surface of said container ends while draping the apertures and extending out of the container to a source of electrical energy; and PA1 (c) A composition in intimate contact with the inner surfaces of said electrical contacts and the subject foodstuff consisting essentially of: PA1 (i) An aqueous gel selected from the group consisting of agar, xanthan gum, tragacanth, guar gum, gum arabic and algin gum, in water; and PA1 (ii) A substantially ionized species selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, ammonium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium glutamate, potassium glutamate, sodium alginate, potassium alginate, ammonium alginate, magnesium alginate, calcium alginate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, magnesium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate. PA1 1. Ground meat patties PA1 2. Sausage PA1 3. Pizza topping PA1 4. Kielbasa PA1 5. Blintzes PA1 6. Egg rolls PA1 7. Cold Cuts PA1 8. Cold cuts-cheese combination, and PA1 9. Cold cut-chopped liver combination PA1 (i) From 86 up to 99.33 weight percent water; PA1 (ii) From 0.5% up to 4.0% by weight of the said edible gel; and PA1 (iii) From 0.2% up to 10.0% by weight of the edible ionized species. PA1 (a) An electrically and preferably thermally insulating container which defines a food cavity having a substantially uniform longitudinal cross sectional area, and an aperture in each of its two most diametrically opposite ends; and PA1 (b) Electrical contacts located at said diametrically opposite ends attached to the surface, preferably the inside surface of said container ends while draping the apertures and extending out of the container to a source of electrical energy; and PA1 (c) A composition in intimate contact with the inner surfaces of said electrical contacts and the subject foodstuff consisting essentially of: PA1 (d) an electrically low conducting food having high electrical resistivity; PA1 (e) an electrically high conducting food disposed in proximate contact with said low conducting food; PA1 (f) said high conducting food having at least two substantially diametrically opposite high conducting food portions, having substantially solid external surfaces.
(i) a gel; and PA2 (ii) a substantially ionized species PA2 (a) An electrically low conducting food; PA2 (b) An electrically high conducting food disposed in proximate contact with said low conducting food; PA2 (c) Said high conducting food having two axially polar high conducting food portions having external surfaces and extending outwardly beyond said low conducting food; PA2 (d) Enclosing said low conducting food, a hollow thermally insulating substantially moisture-impervious container for holding said electrically low conducting food, said container being capable of existing in a closed position and in an open position, said container comprising two sections having substantially conterminous edges, a first section and a second section articulating said first section, said first section and said second section having mutually substantial continuous co-extensive edges, at least of one said sections having an internal surface designed to fixedly hold said food over a substantial portion of the surfaces of said food when the container is in a closed position; PA2 (e) At least one of said container sections having axially polar ends, said axially polar ends having internal axially polar surfaces which are co-extensive with the external surface of said axially polar high conducting food portions; PA2 (f) Electrical conducting means extending outwardly from said container, said electrical conducting means having electrical conducting ends external to said container, said ends being designed to make electrical contact with the terminals of an electrical energy source when said container is in a closed position, said electrical conducting means being affixed to each of said internal axially polar surfaces, said electrical conducting means being in intimate electrical contact with the external surfaces of said two axially polar high conducting food portions when said container is in a closed position. PA2 (i) a gel; and PA2 (ii) a substantially ionized species PA2 (i) a gel; and PA2 (ii) a substantially ionized species
said composition being positioned to make intimate non-arcing contact between the electrically high conducting foodstuff and the electrical contacts during current flow.
The present invention allows food retained within the container food cavity to be completely cooked without the necessity of handling the food or removing the food from the container.
Principally it provides a means and package for conveniently containing, cooking and serving an electrically high conducting food product which is particularly expedient for fast food dispensing.
The disadvantages of the prior art include the occurrence of electrical arcing and the consequent non-cooking and burning of the foodstuff caused by inaccurate placement of the food relative to the electrodes and particularly by inadequate electrical continuity.
The disadvantages of specific prior art citations will be further discussed in detail.
The present invention overcomes the above mentioned prior art difficulties by means of the container and gel with ionized species composition of this application by providing improved continuous electrical contact between the electrodes. Functionally, the larger area of electrical contact eliminates arcing, burning and non cooking of foodstuff by improving the flow of current. This invention is particularly applied to a unit food package such as a unit sausage (e.g. frankfurter), pizza, hamburger or cheeseburger package and more particularly to a unit moisture-containing compound food package in which an electrically conducting food such as a frankfurter, which is in intimate contact and within or upon a suitable non-electrically conductive food substance such as a bun, may be cooked without arcing occurring and caused to remain conveniently hot throughout and palatable for a convenient period of time after cooking.